AN Oxford University student who tried to meet a 14-year-old 'boy' for sex has been jailed.

Shiraaz Kureembokus said he had been 'lonely' during the country-wide lockdown, when he sent sexually explicit messages to the child, who was really a decoy officer.

In those messages, read out by prosecutors, the boy told Kureembokus he was only 14 to which the post-graduate student replied: "Cute baby."

The 27-year-old of Mansfield Road, Oxford had already admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Outlining the case at Oxford Crown Court prosecutor Christopher Hewertson said Kureembokus began communicating with the decoy child from his Oxford flat on Grindr.

It was on May 5 when the contact between the pair began and the decoy said to Kureembokus 'I should tell you I'm only 14, I just wanted to be honest with you as some people don't like my age.'

Kureembokus replied to that message: "That's cool, I'm 27."

After requesting pictures the conversation moved to WhatsApp, where the 'child' repeated his age.

In other messages read to the court Kureembokus discussed specific sexual acts.

When asked what he wanted to do he gave a series of indecent responses.

Kureembokus then discussed meeting with the child before telling him to go to his flat.

He went outside of his home to search for the boy but was arrested and he later went on to admit the single count against him.

At his sentencing hearing today the court heard that he had no other previous convictions for any other offences.

In mitigation Brid Eve, defending, said that her client had been 'finding lockdown particularly difficult.'

She said: "He was very lonely, he does not have any friends.

"He didn't believe he was meeting with a child, however he accepts the offence is made out."

She added that he had expressed remorse and said: "He accepts that on that day he made a grave error of judgement.

"He wishes to say he is very sorry for his behaviour, it was a moment of madness."

The court also heard that he had since been suspended by his college, where he was studying.

Sentencing, Judge Maria Lamb said: "It is quite apparent from the material that you were working on the basis that the person with whom you were communicating was a 14-year-old boy.

"There are frequent references to the age of that boy, frequent references to his mother and the fact he was at school.

"I take into account the devastating consequences this will have for you and your family."

Kureembokus was jailed for 18 months and he must pay a statutory victim surcharge.

He must also obey a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.